Forks in the Path to Destiny

Chapter 21: Hope and Despair

Gaius ran a damp cloth over the wound to Tristan's side. Looking at how severe the injury was, he thought that Tristan was lucky to be alive. Had that spell hit just a few inches to the right...Tristan's heart could've been pierced and he would be dead right now. Luckily, it had only gotten him at the side and missed his vital organs. However, he had lost a lot of blood and would be out for a day or two. He felt his head and saw that now he was starting to run a very high fever. As he went to get a damp rag for the knight, his thoughts went out to Merlin. It had been nearly a week since he'd seen him. Before he had left, Merlin was going through some doubt about his calling, Gaius could see it. Being surrounded by people who could be themselves and rise to make a difference would tend to make someone in Merlin's position lonely.

His concern for his ward wasn't limited to just that; it was the fact that he was going to an unknown valley full of sorcerers that were apparently quite skilled in their arts. He knew the potential of a sorcerer's power if they studied and learned with others over just by themselves. If Arthur and the others were to be discovered then Gaius could only imagine what they would do to let loose their rage towards the King of Camelot. There was also the fact that they were apparently tied to Merlin's destiny. Two parts of Merlin's destiny clashing with each other is sure to tear at Merlin himself. Yesterday's attack surely wouldn't help anything.

Tristan suddenly shot his head a little up almost startling Gaius. "Stop," he mumbled.

"Tristan? Tristan, can you hear me?"

Tristan was swaying a little on the table. He looked lost in some kind of dementia. "Don't...don't run away..." he mumbled.

"Tristan, you have to calm down. You need rest."

"Stop...fakes...won't let...Alvarr."

Alvarr? Gaius knew that name. He was the renegade that infiltrated Camelot and tried to use Morgana to get the Crystal of Neathed. However, he had escaped and he hadn't been seen or heard again for some time. "Tristan...what is it? How do you know Alvarr?"

He was still mumbling but it was a little softer. "Stop...don't...trick." Then he suddenly calmed and seemed to have passed out.

One of the soldiers came in and stood at attention to Gaius' left. "Gaius, sir."

"Yes?"

"The war council has been called."

"I'll be right there," he said putting the finishing touches on Tristan's bandages.

Gaius entered the main tent to see that he was one of the last ones to arrive. Most of the knights were there along with a few of the lords from the council, Lords Calhoun and Renmar the most prominent among them. They all had irritated and angry expressions.

Sir Ferris read out loud the letter that had sent rather violently to them and everyone in the room look horrified at the part where the king was captured but Gaius was relieved at the part where it said that he and the others were safe. Prisoners yes, but thankfully safe. At the mention of the name Lord Connor, Gaius was hit with some kind of distant recognition. Back when he first heard the name, he somehow thought it was a little familiar. He didn't mention it to Merlin because he wasn't sure what it meant. He had known many people of magic back then but when they started being executed he had to put many of them far from memory so he wouldn't constantly see their faces as they reached the pyre or the chopping block. This name however...Gaius knew it but he couldn't remember where; and the name didn't give him a bad or suspicious feeling and Gaius learned long ago to trust his feelings on matters like this.

"These markers were found nearby," Ferris said showing them all a pole with a banner of a roaring bear head attached to it. "Tristan also had one clutched at his side when he was attacked."

Gaius looked at the banners. They matched the one that the grower had told them about. Yet...Tristan's words kept flashing through his mind...as well as the image of the crest that was shown with the prisoner Malcolm. Something wasn't right.

"This can't be left unanswered," said Calhoun stomping the ground. "These sorcerers should feel the full wrath of our army."

"What army?" said one of the knights. "We lost a whole battalion of men in this attack and still have no idea how many there are to deal with. We don't even have a clue how many were involved in this assault."

"Does it even matter?" said Renmar. "We've dealt with sorcerers well in the past. We simply need to call in the reserves left back at the city and that should be enough to cover our loses here at the camp and we could march in and destroy them as well as the others we've already eliminated."

"But those were lone sorcerers," said Gaius finally stepping in. "These sorcerers of the Order of the Bear are different, can't you tell?"

"Different? You see one sorcerer you've seen them all," insisted Renmar. "We'll stop them like we've stopped others in the past."

"You still don't understand, do you Renmar?" Gaius said now taking a scolding tone that he saved for Merlin. "The magical puppets that attacked the camp weren't some everyday enchantment. They were made with expert craft unseen since the days before the Great Purge."

"So they are good with crafting magical puppets. We know how to defeat them now and once we get past that, we'll deal with the scum that control them."

Gaius shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

"What are you trying to say Gaius?" asked Sir Dregan.

"Something doesn't make sense here. Why would the Order attack the camp with such force and then run away when they could've gone on to wipe it out? The flags on a field indicate an army's position yet...none of the men save for Tristan even encountered any of them." As he spoke, he realized that Tristan's severe injury started to make even more sense. A desperate attack to try and stop a witness from talking.

"If they ran away then it means they are cowards," said Lord Calhoun. "They saw their little toys were defeated and didn't want to join their fate."

Gaius' frown became even deeper. How could they not see it? "Cowards? Calhoun, they had two members of their Order infiltrate the city of Camelot. If that was the resolve and effectiveness of two of their members then wouldn't it stand to reason that a few dozen of their members would be greater especially when dealing with a mobile camp?"

Gregory of Monmouth approached his old friend. "Gaius? We still don't understand what you are trying to say."

Gaius wiped some sweat from his brow. "What if this is some sort of trick?"

"A trick?" he asked a little lost.

"Yes...Tristan came to for a little while I was treating him and kept muttering about tricks and fakes."

"And how is that relevant to your theory?" asked Calhoun.

"Tristan was the only witness to these attackers. Don't you find it odd that the only witness was attacked to be silenced?"

Renmar just sneered at him. "That suggests that this is a trick? Perhaps they just wanted to slay anyone they saw."

"This attack shows all the signs of calling attention. If attention is what they're after, then showing themselves be a vital step. If they are hiding and trying to conceal themselves then it points everything to a deception."

"So, you're saying that they don't have our king?" asked Renmar.

"Well, we don't have any proof that he is even a prisoner. For all we know, Arthur and the others are on their way to us right now. This could all be a trick to start an unnecessary conflict."

"He is missing and hasn't returned when he said he would and, from the trackers' report, these sorcerers retreated southwest towards the Valley of Gedref."

"I'm merely saying that we shouldn't jump to hasty conclusions and make rash decisions. We still have no idea what we're even up against. All we know is that the group of sorcerers call themselves the Order of the Bear, they live in a settlement called Albion and their leader is Connor. We know no more about them then we did before the King left."

"They're sorcerers who have our king. I think I speak for all of us in saying that that is all we need to know. What else is there?"

"Physician," said Calhoun. "Lord Renmar is the one who is talking sense. If this is a trick then that just means there are more sorcerers out there then we thought. Once we take care of the sorcerers that the King went after we'll just go after the ones that did this."

"Listen to yourselves...you just said it doesn't even matter if the Order of the Bear even did this. You're still willing to attack them?"

"Of course. The only good sorcerer is a dead one. You say "unnecessary conflict" but any action against those of magic is completely worth our full participation. I think all of us are in agreement to that?" Calhoun gestured to everyone assembled. One by one they all nodded their heads and started to glare down Gaius.

"Very well," he said not taking his eyes off Calhoun. "I can see that I'm out voted."

"If you think that the life of our king is not important enough to strike at these savages then of course you will be out voted," said Renmar.

Gaius look now turned into a full blown glare. "You DARE assume that Arthur and the others well being is not important to me?"

Calhoun crossed his arms. "It could seem that way if, for some reason, you were...sympathetic to this Order of the Bear for some reason."

Sir Dregan caught Gaius eye. "Such as when you tried to speak for the man I brought in that had escaped."

At Dregan's statement, everyone started to narrow their eyes at Gaius. Even his friend Gregory looked at him with unease.

Gaius tried not to react with contempt at Dregan's interference. "I was trying to be fair to the prisoner. The same motivation is behind what I am saying now. If we don't understand what is happening then we could end up doing something to make everything worse."

"Destroying magic users is going to make everything worse?" said Sir Ferris with a bemused look on his face. "If Arthur were here, he would do whatever it took to eliminate this Order. Which is what we should be doing right now. We shouldn't be arguing over this silly issue and should really focus on mobilizing the men so that we can go and rescue our king."

"Gaius," said Renmar. "You should start thinking who you should be more worried about. Our king or these mysterious sorcerers that you feel we should know more about."

At that, one of the other knights brought out a map and everyone started to gather around it but Gaius seemed frozen out as no one made any effort to make a space for him. However, Gaius didn't notice as he didn't even bother trying. He immediately left to finish tending to the wounded.

Gwaine nearly fell asleep laying there on the forest floor until he felt rumbling shaking him awake. There were rocks flying around and forming a bridge. When it was finished, Kay could be seen walking down it with three other members of the Order walking with him. When he crossed the bridge and greeted the other guards, he caught sight of Gwaine on the ground.

"Should I ask why you are laying in the ground like that so close to the bridge?" He then saw the nearby bottle. "Or should I just shrug it off as just being drunk?"

Gwaine just chuckled and sloppily got himself back on his feet. "Actually...I was waiting for you."

Kay was genuinely surprised. "Me?"

"Can we talk?"

Kay looked back at his fellow Order members and nodded to them. "Make some final rounds and then switch with the late night patrols."

"Yes sir," one of them said as the others scattered to follow Kay's instructions.

Kay and Gwaine then took off into the woods heading for the city. "Now...what did you want to speak to me about?"

"Well...your father was Lord Reks and...I heard that he was good friends with Sir Rohan."

"Ohh," Kay said now understanding where this was going. "You want to know what I know of your father."

Gwaine nodded. "I never heard too much about him and I have very vague memories of him. It doesn't matter if you can't tell me much," he said quickly as he remembered the guards' words. "But anything would be nice."

Kay kept walking for a bit more before he turned and looked closer at Gwaine. He could see Sir Rohan a little in his eyes and with his smile but everything else seemed to be distant from him. "I met you father consciously for the first time when he and my father were making their plans with Lord Gwaine over twenty years ago. I didn't fully understand what was happening but I could feel that it wasn't something good. I had to hide in a bunker with other magic users when the time came for decoy deception. When he and Lord Gwaine came to get us, both of them told us about my father. Rohan...he let me cry into his shoulder and he even insisted on me hitting him if I wanted. Looking back, I guess he wanted to have some kind repentance for what happened to my father. Although, I don't know why. I've never blamed him for what happened to my father...I've only blamed Uther Pendragon for that."

"Yeah, it looks like Uther had a lot to be blamed for in his day."

"I didn't feel like hurting Rohan...he was crying a little himself. He parted ways with us after that though we did meet up with him one more time afterwards."

"Really? When?"

"It was almost three years after we had parted. That was a few months before we discovered this land and had met Connor's group and Galahad's group. We needed some supplies to keep going on our journey and Gwaine decided to ask your father for some help. He gave us some supplies and even told us about...his new son that was born a few months after we last met."

"Would you say that my father and Lord Gwaine were close? They must have been if he named me afer him."

"Gwaine used to tell me that he and Rohan studied together for a few years back in the day before he went on to be a knight and Gwaine as my father's head magician."

Gwaine was shocked. "My father studied magic?" This was something he truly wasn't expecting to find out.

Kay chuckled a little. "No, no," he said at Gwaine's shocked face. "He tried to learn magic with Lord Gwaine...but he just didn't have the focus for it. It's not for everyone. He excelled more at identifying magic as well as it's history. It turns out that he was more content with his talents with a blade."

Gwaine nodded. He remembered the type of studying that his father made him go through. Studying magical items and weapons as well as learning of magical beasts and history. "My father made me go through some of that same studying too." It did come in handy when he identified those magic blades that those bar patrons tried to use to kill Arthur.

"Like father, like son then," Kay said ducking his head from a loose branch. "Even if Uther hadn't outlawed magic, Rohan probably thought you would shine better in battle than in practicing actual magic but still wanted you to at least have a chance to have an understanding of it."

"I never could understand my father's motives as a child though now it starting to make more and more sense."

Kay nodded but then he went into a frown. "I-I heard about his passing. I'm sorry about that."

"Thank you," he said quietly. "After his death...I closed myself off from any royalty or nobility thinking that they could only care about themselves. Even with my family's history, I closed myself off from that too. I guess I began to think that my father fit into that self serving category I made for nobility."

"You chose to live common mundane life?" At his nod, Kay smiled. "Same with me. Over the years, enemies of mine tried to exploit that about myself. Saying that I was degrading myself by following common serving stock but I saw no shame in following Connor's lead. Besides, I can't exactly miss what I never truly knew. I was five when I had to leave the life of nobility behind and can't even remember what it was like."

"Trust me," Gwaine said before emptying his liquor bottle. "You haven't missed much."

They got to Albion and Kay motioned for Gwaine to follow him. They approached a table where an somewhat elderly woman was handing candles out. They were simple thin candles. Kay took one and gave it to Gwaine. "Take this."

Gwaine looked at it with confusion. "A candle?"

"It's for our Points of Light Salute. You could light it for your father. Sir Rohan should be honored and remembered tonight by his son."

"Points of Light Salute?"

Night had fallen and everyone was gathered in the main square. Lord Gwaine's statue had a ball of pure white light in his hand instead of multi-colored lights like it usually did at night. The mood was a little more tamer than usual but everyone was still waiting in anticipation. Arthur was with the others in a corner with two members of the Order on either side of their group. After he had met the others in the museum, they had told him that they had been listening to Malcolm and his musicians practicing songs though they made sure not to be seen. Arthur couldn't blame them; out of everyone in the council it was Malcolm that had the greatest animosity towards them. They heard of the event coming up from some of the excited townspeople and soon met up with Gwaine who already had a candle ready.

Currently, there were people standing in groups all over the square surrounding Gwaine's statue waiting for Connor to show up and begin the event. There were scattered people with candles and some that didn't have any but they didn't seem deterred at all.

"What is this event?" asked Leon. "The people really didn't give us any real detail."

Gwaine waved his hand that was holding the candle Kay gave him. "Kay told me about it. This event is to honor the friends and loved ones that the Albions lost over the years. They make a tribute of lights in the night to honor their memories."

"Points of light," Elyan said looking at the people with the candles.

"Right," said Gwaine. "The candles are for those that don't have magic. They light the candles to make their points of light while those with magic conjure orbs of light in their hands."

"Ohh," said Gwen looking around at the people. "It sounds like a beautiful memorium to have for loved ones."

Arthur started to feel a little uncomfortable now. This event was to remember and grieve for quite a number of people who died by his father and his kingdom's hand. It would be better if they all were chanting for his fall then going through this memorium. Their anger would be easier for him to deal with than their grief. Arthur then noticed the candle in Gwaine's hand. "Why do you have candle Gwaine?"

"Kay gave it to me," he said looking at it. "Thought it would be great if I honored my father tonight for what he'd done for all of them."

Before anyone else could say anything...they caught sight of someone they hadn't seen for what seemed forever.

"Hey everyone."

"Merlin," said Gwen going on and hugging him.

Everyone started to shake his hand to welcome the sight of him...except Arthur. He just kept himself far from where he stood. He was still angry with his servant for keeping such important secrets from him. He honestly couldn't understand how Merlin could look him in the eye day after day with all of this knowledge about his origins and let him believe what his father allowed him to. Also...the fact that he had magic was an issue. With what he now knew...Arthur wasn't angry about the fact that he had magic. Merlin couldn't really be blamed for it as it was something he was born with like with Connor and quite a few of the Albions especially the children. It was the fact that he kept it a secret from Arthur so long when he went out of his way to share so many things with Merlin that he couldn't with anyone else and yet Merlin didn't think Arthur deserved the same from him. Merlin claimed that he had complete faith in him and yet he never made any effort to tell him this important part of his life. He also was ready to doubt him when Malcolm and Connor spoke to him about some destiny he apparently had. That part he also didn't understand but he wouldn't ask about it himself. That was something that Merlin had to tell him and he wouldn't let Connor, Malcolm or anyone else tell what was supposedly Merlin's prime motivation.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked when he saw that Arthur was trying to ignore him.

"We're okay Merlin," said Elyan. "I think that Connor and the others aren't going to do anything to us as long as we don't cause them any grief."

Gwaine folded his arms. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I don't plan on giving any one in the Order of the Bear a reason to use me for target practice."

Merlin knew that Connor and the others wouldn't break their word but it was still good to know that his friends weren't being mistreated. "That's good to hear."

"Are you participating in the salute too Merlin?" asked Gwaine holding up his candle.

He nodded. "I'm...going to honor my father with a light."

"Oh yes...Balinor, the last dragonlord right?" asked Leon.

"Yes...he did try to protect both me and my mother at the expense of being in isolation. He...deserves a light for himself."

"I wish I could've met him," said Gwen sadly.

"Me too," he said smiling at Gwen's kindness. "I'm sure he would've liked you. All of you," he said looking at the other knights. He then looked at Arthur. "Arthur, he had met and I don't think he liked him too much," he said with a little bit of a teasing voice.

Everyone laughed a little but Arthur didn't even bat an eye. He just kept looking ahead at everyone else in the square. Merlin looked on at him for a second before he just looked on at the rest of the townspeople himself.

Percival could see that there was suddenly a lot of frenzied movement up ahead. "Looks like it's starting."

Soon everyone quieted down when the sight of Connor, Galahad, Kay and Malcolm walked down the square and stood at the foot of Lord Gwaine's statue. Connor then levitated himself to the outstretched hand of the statue like he did their first night here. When he did, he coughed and straightened himself.

"People of Albion. twenty years have now come where we now have a home where we could truly live with one another in peace and security. This is a time where we celebrate the fact that we could have such a home. Yet...we must not forget that this home can't be experienced by everyone. This home also didn't come without cost. We have lost many of our friends, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, teachers and neighbors over these years. Many died to make sure we could have the chance to live as we do today. To live and work together and rebuild our crumbling world. Those with magic and those without alike fought and suffered for us to be able to stand here tonight. They died to be able to have our friends from afar able to live with their families and loved ones. I know that I speak for all of us when I say that we look forward to the day that we reunite with them in Avalon and let them know that they didn't die and suffer in vain. That they were part of a legacy that has created hope for us and for future generations. Let us now think of them and create our lights."

Little by little, people started conjuring balls of light in their hands and others lit the candles for anyone beside them. It was like stars were coming alight and was spreading all around the square. Gwaine tapped Merlin on the shoulder and held out his candle.

Merlin smiled at him and eyed the candlewick. "Forbearne"

Gwaine's candle came alight. Everyone tensed a little as this was the first time they saw Merlin use magic in front of them but Gwaine just let out a laugh. "Thanks Merlin."

Merlin then got a picture of his father to come into his mind and then held out his hand. "Leoht." he whispered and then a ball of glowing light came into his hand.

Arthur looked at the light and his hand and almost reacted. He recognized it. It was the light that was in the cave back when he went to get the Morteus flower for Merlin's cure. The one that helped guide him through the darkness and find his way. Gwaine and Elyan did say that they all owed Merlin for a lot of things and now he saw that he truly did. He then remembered talking to his father about the light. He told him that he was only able to survive because of it but his father seemed more concerned with what the witch in the forest could've told him. With what he knew of his father, it all made perfect sense now...he was afraid of what he could've been told. His father trying to make him forget about this good bit of magic and think of only the bad...like he wanted him to.

Connor had his own light in his hand as did Sir Kay. Galahad and Malcolm had their candles lit and were looking up at their friend.

"Let these lights go on with our thoughts of loved ones and help point lost and worthy souls to find their way to Avalon. To our loved ones." he gestured out and holding his light above his head.

"To our loved ones," chanted the people of Albion also holding their lights and candles up high.

Suddenly the lights started flying up out of peoples hands and the flames on the candles left their candlewicks and flew up, following them. They rose up like drifting fireflies into the dark night sky. People all around the square started to cry and hug each other as the watched the lights go higher and higher.

Merlin shed a single tear as the image of his father dying in his arms appeared in his mind. Images of Will dying in front of him and of Lancelot's body in front of him also entered his mind. He hoped that they all were in Avalon watching down on him. His light was for all of them.

Gwaine watched the lights fly up and thought of his late wayward father. His mother and even his annoying sister should know of what he had helped make possible. There were times when he doubted his father's honor and title but now he knew that he truly was noble in both blood and actions. He was simply too hard on himself on not being able to accomplish all that he wanted back then with these people.

Connor gazed at the lights and his mind flashed to his parents and to Lord Gwaine. After his father had been captured in a raid on the druid camp that they and their fellow outcasts from Camelot were hiding in, he felt like he truly had no one from that moment on. Then he met all his future friends and Lord Gwaine. He taught him magic and how to control his beast taming gifts but most importantly...taught him what he would need to know in adult life when his father couldn't. Gwaine had truly become like a father figure to him and saw his potential to be a leader even when he kept trying to insist that he wasn't one even long after his passing. "Gwaine...I guess you truly did know what you were talking about way back then," he said to himself before he started to descend to where his friends stood.

Kay looked to his left where Connor had set himself down and embraced him. When his father died and they had to go on the move, Lord Gwaine had become Kay's new guardian. He had begun teaching him about ethics, honor and, after Kay's endless insistence, about magic. He figured that he was a target for death anyway so why not learn the art that Gwaine and their fellow survivors knew so well. Then Gwaine met and took in Connor and the two of them became as close as brothers. That didn't mean that he didn't miss the image of his father from time to time though.

Arthur never seen something so beautiful and sad at the same time. Each of those lights were beautiful to see yet it was still on his father, and even himself, that each one of them had to be conjured in the first place. It was one thing to hear of what had been done...it was quite another to see it with your own eyes.

Camped in the woods close to Albion's village ally, Mordred and Alvarr were going over the final stage of their grand plan. They were listening to a scout who had returned after looking out at Camelot's camp.

"They sent envoys for some reinforcements to cover their losses from our sneak attack. The main camp is advancing for this location now. Their reinforcements will meet up with them here in two days."

"Excellent," Alvarr said dismissing the scout. "They will be able to launch their attack on Albion right when they have finished their foolish little festival."

"Yes...the Camelot army will be out for blood." He then looked at the lights of the village ahead. "It would be wise to make the Albions do the same."

Alvarr looked to the village as well. "With this village? You want us to frame Camelot with an attack on their allies?"

Mordred just smirked. "Alvarr, we don't need to go through the effort of framing Camelot. Despite how honorable Connor and his fellow council members try to be, deep down they despise Camelot as much as us. Just the sight of a Camelot force will be enough for them to retaliate."

"Yes...it would be unnecessary work. But...I think we should go the extra mile. Don't we still have serving boy Emrys to tempt?"

Mordred nodded. "Yes. An army of his king coming to rescue him will most likely tempt him to side with Arthur and Camelot over Albion but it isn't fair there isn't more to tempt him to side with Albion than just a developing friendship with Lord Connor."

"Perhaps...some spilled blood of an innocent nearby village will do the trick." Alvarr said with an amused look in his eye.

"Yes...but it must be by Camelot's own hands."

Alvarr looked at the remaining counterfeit banners they still had of the Order of the Bear's proud symbol. "That shouldn't be too hard to arrange."

End of Chapter 21

A/N: Sorry this chapter was later than I wanted it to be. I had a bit of overtime this week and I kept rewriting the beginning segment over and over to get what I wanted but today I managed to finish up the last seven pages. Lords Renmar and Calhoun are just pushing for war with Albion aren't they. After the attack by Mordred and Alvarr it wasn't too hard to be supported. The terrible two are also moving into making an all out war breaking out between the two forces but Albion still doesn't know its coming for them. I hope you like the salute of light I made for the Albions to have in memorium. I wanted it to be a way that still showed unity and beauty of magic to Arthur but still make him face what his kingdom has done and must do in the future.

A heads up: I'm going on away on vacation statting next sunday. I'll try to have one more chapter up before I go away but in case I can't I will be gone until the second week of August.